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U-Bahn
The Berlin U-Bahn is a series of 10 subway lines serving 173 stops, with a total track length of over 150 kilometers. The lines and its trains are maintained by the BVG, which oversees the main transportation modes in Berlin. 80% of this system is underground, therefore resonating with its name. In 2017, daily ridership peaked at over 1.5 million. Trains run daily every 2 to 10 minutes, depending on the time of the day. The U-Bahn can be found across many German cities, however, the Berlin U-Bahn is by far the most extensive system. Lines U1 The U1 runs from Uhlandstr. to Warschauer Str. This line spans 8 kilometers in length, and runs entirely within fare zone A. Trains run every 10 minutes on this line. It duplicates line U3 from Wittenbergplatz to Warschauer Str, It also duplicates line U2 from Wittenbergplatz to Gleisdreieck. Its usual train stock includes the class A3L92. Until 24 February 2019, the frequency of this line will be increased to 5 minutes due to track works at Wittenbergplatz. As U2 and U3 will not run along certain sections of the line, line U1 will be run with 8-car trains (never seen before in history), with appearances of the new Hk and Ik trains, to absorb the ridership of the U2 and U3. There are future plans to extend this line to connect to the U7 at Adenauerplatz, however Berlin's financial problems make this extension unlikely to happen until 2050. U2 The U2 is a complicated line spanning the city from east to west in 20 kilometers. This line starts at Ruhleben, and passes Theodor-Heuss-Platz, near the central bus station and ICC. Thereafter, it passes Zoologischer Garten, Gleisdreieck and Potsdamer Platz. It then meets with the S-Bahn at Alexanderplatz, and continues towards Pankow, passing Schönhauser Allee as well. There are many series of bends on the U2 line, making it by far one of the most complex routes to drive, besides U7. Until 24 February 2019, the U2 is split into two sections, due to Wittenbergplatz track works. The U2 West ends at Zoologischer Garten, and the U2 East ends at Gleisdreieck.￼ This also means that trains on U2 West must first terminate at Zoologischer Garten, before reversing to the sidings, entering the other platform at the station, then driving back again towards Ruhleben. Wuick work of drivers is needed for this action. The main fleet is usually A3L92s and Hk trains, however, there are appearances of Ik and Gisela trains as well, making U2 one of the the best lines for train-spotters. There are planned extensions to either Pankow Kirche or Rosenthaler Weg in the east, which is realisable as it is included in the Senate plans. However, another extension to Stadtrandstr. via Rathaus Spandau in the west is most likely not happening due to the low ridership expected.￼ Alternate trains terminate at Theodor-Heuss-Platz and return to Pankow thereafter. U3 The U3 heavily duplicates the U1 along the eastern section from Wittenbergplatz. On the western end, it splits to run south-west towards Fehrbelliner Platz and Krumme Lanke. Until 24 February 2019, the U3 temporarily terminates at Spichernstr. due to track works at Wittenbergplatz. There are plans to extend the U3 towards Mexikoplatz, but even though it is only 700 meters long, the chronic financial situation of the Senate prevents this construction. Trains terminate at Nollendorfplatz in the early mornings and late evenings due to low ridership. U4 The U4 is the second-shortest U-Bahn line in Berlin, after U55. It only runs for ￼2 kilometers and serving only 5 stations, between Nollendorfplatz and Innsbrucker Platz. It provides a transfer to the U7 at Bayerischer Platz. U4 runs entirely underground. A station worth mentioning is Rathaus Schoneberg, which is situated in the middle of a park. Through the windows, you can see good views of the park whilst waiting for a train. U4 runs only with 2-car trains due to the length of the line and the low ridership during the day. U5 and U55 The U5 is a large-profile line running entirely in the east of Berlin, from Alexanderplatz to the city limits at Honow. Currently, the main transfer point is at Alexanderplatz, however works are nearly complete to link the line to Berlin Hauptbahnhof. This extension will provide transfer options at Unter Den Linden with the U6. The U5 is the best line for train-spotters, primarily because the BVG often puts museum trains on this line, between Biesdorf-Sud and Honow. Normal operations use the class H trains. Adapted Ik trains are also used due to the fleet shortage on large-profile lines. Plans have also been made to further extend U5 to the north-east, from Berlin Hauptbahnhof, via Turmstr. to Flughafen Tegel. However, the impending closure of Flughafen Tegel forced this plan to be shelved, and the route was too long as well. There is another plan to extend it to Rathaus Reinickendorf via Eichborndamm, however this plan is likely shelved as well, due to an extension of the tram network. At Jungfernheide, there is an extra island platform to accommodate a possible U5 interchange, but this is now used for joint fire-fighting exercises with the BVG and airport security. Alternate trains terminate at Kaulsdorf-Nord during off-peak periods. The line U55 is currently the shortest line in the Berlin U-Bahn system, serving 3 stations between Hauptbahnhof and Brandenburger Tor, via Bundestag. The U55 clearly reflects the troubled finances of the Berlin Senate, being in the historical 200-km plans of the 1980s, but unfinished until 2009. As the U55 is unconnected to the rest of the U-Bahn, replacement trains must be delivered with trucks, through an opening to the north of Hauptbahnhof. A provisional workshop is also near this area, where trains are maintained and cleaned. The designation of U55 clearly meant that it would be joined with U5 in the future. The link was meant to be completed by 2017, but construction difficulties forced the opening to be shifted to 2020. The U55 is now running on only one set of a 2-car Dora museum train, which was refurbished to modern standards. This train runs continuously between Brandenburger Tor and Hauptbahnhof, on a single track with no signals. U6 The U6 is a large-profile U-Bahn line stretching from Tegel in the north to Mariendorf in the south. It has quite an interesting history during the Cold War, when Berlin was split into east and west. Most of the U6 ran under West Berlin, but there were 5 stations under East Berlin territory. To prevent people from crossing over illegally, these 5 stations were sealed off, and trains passed these stations. These stations then earned the nickname "ghost stations", and were only accessible by East Berlin border patrol officers. A sixth station, which was mostly in West Berlin, but with one exit leading out to East Berlin, Friedrichstr., served as a transfer station to the S-Bahn, and also as a border crossing. ￼In 2020, the U5 extension is expected to open, with a transfer option at the new Unter Den Linden station. With this, Franzosische Str., located nearby, will be closed. There are also extension plans for U6 to Alt-Lichtenrade, via Trabrennbahn Mariendorf and Marienfelde Sud. U7 The U7 is easily recognizable as the longest Berlin U-Bahn line on the maps. Spanning 40 kilometers from Rathaus Spandau in the north-west to Rudow in the south-east, it meets with most of the other U-Bahn lines along its course. The U7 is considerably one of the main transport links to Flughafen Schonefeld. Passengers need to transfer ag Rudow to buses which will take them there. The 2014 transport plans state that a U7 extension to Staaken is likely happening, with construction starting in 2021. Meanwhile, a southern extension to Flughafen Schonefeld is shelved due to low expected ridership. However, with an expected closure of Flughafen Tegel, the Rudow mayor has been campaigning for the extension to be revived. U8 The U8 has had a very simple history, and there are no plans to extend this line either. However, the original plan back then was to construct a suspended monorail, like the one in Wuppertal, and not a subway. Alternate off-peak trains terminate at Paracelsus-Bad, and return to Hermannstr. afterwards. U9 The U9 also has a quite a simple history. With the erection of the Berlin wall, it was found necessary to have this additional line, to connect the Steglitz and Reinickendorf districts with the new central zone south of Zoologischer Garten. An extension in the old 200-km plans has also been shelved. This was planned to go to Lankwitz Kirche, connecting to the S-Bahn at Lankwitz. However, this was proven to be unnecessary due to low ridership. Besides, there is already a transfer to the S-Bahn at Rathaus Steglitz, further proving it unnecessary. U10 (a.k.a. Phantom Line) The U10, which is an unbuilt line, was planned for connecting Falkenberg with Drakestr. in Lichtenrade, via Alexanderplatz and Steglitz. It is well-known as the Phantom Line as provisions for this line were constructed in several stations, which were left abandoned after the shelving of this line. Even though it has not been considered part of Berlin's transport plans until at least 2030, the 1994 version of the line is still in old transport plans. This means that even future building constructions must accomodate for the possibility of the line U10. History The history of the U-Bahn has been a rather interesting one. It started out as a small, elevated section between Stralauer Tor and Zoologischer Garten, and a short spur to Potsdamer Platz. This section is known to be part of today's U1 and U2. Since then, there have been many expansions over the past century. Many of the expansions were built before World War II, however, the construction was slowed down due to hyperinflation caused by World War I. The major development of the U-Bahn had stopped in 1930. During World War II, many U-Bahn facilities were used as air-raid shelters, and it might have been one of the possible bombing targets of the Allied forces. Some stations were either directly or partially hit by bombs, but the damage was repaired. However, in the long-term this was proven to be difficult, and so, the entire U-Bahn system ground to a halt in April 1945. After the unconditional surrender of the Nazis, there were 437 damaged points and 496 damaged trains counted. The construction of the Berlin Wall, which effectively split Berlin into east and west, severely affected U-Bahn services. The current U2 was split into two sections. The north-south lines, which mostly fell in West Berlin territory, were not allowed to stop at 5 stations which fell in East Berlin territory. These stations, known as ghost stations, had their platforms fenced off, and only accessible by East German border patrol officers. Passengers could only disembark at Friedrichstr., a dedicated border crossing point. Also, many passengers who took the S-Bahn boycotted the Deutsche Reichsbahn, causing overcrowding on the U-Bahn system. In 1989, right after the fall of the Berlin wall, more passengers from East Berlin, who heard the news on television, spilled onto the U-Bahn system, and flooded the border checkpoints. Jannowitzbrucke was opened to alleviate the stress on Friedrichstr. Soon after, the other ghost stations were renovated and re-opened, and led to the system we now know today. Accidents The Berlin U-Bahn is easily ranked as one of the safest modes of transport. Few accidents have been recorded in its course of history. Gleisdreieck triangle accident Back before 1912, the Gleisdreieck triangle was one of the most dangerous part of the U-Bahn system. Since it is only guarded by signals, if a driver misses the signal, it would probably lead to a huge accident. True enough, this was what happened on 26 September 1908. A driver missed the stop signal, causing another train to slam into his. One of the trains derailed and fell off the viaduct. This accident killed 18 and injured 21. A later, but less serious, accident triggered its reconstruction to become the dual-level cross station we know of today. Fires Fires are very dangerous anywhere on a train network, but more so in an underground system. In 1987, a train burnt out in the tunnels connecting Klosterstr. and Alexanderplatz. In July 2000, the last car of a GI/I train caught fire at the rear of Deutsche Oper. The single exit of the station was blocked, forcing passengers to run through the tunnel to the next emergency exit. The fire also damaged the station, which remained closed for 3 months. U6 minor accident This accident, which saw no casualties, happened in March 2003. Repair work caused service to be terminated at Kurt-Schumacher-Platz, so a shuttle service was ran between Kurt-Schumacher-Platz and Holzhauser Str. As the driver needed to pass a few stop signals, he had been given instructions on what to do. However, he ignored the stop sign outside Kurt-Schumacher-Platz, where the platform was shared with normal services terminating there. The train ploughed into a train heading back for Alt-Mariendorf, damaging both trains and the tracks. The removal of these trains took 2 days.